Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

5 reviews

olliepopop's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Slavery

moonlitemuseum's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The platter of misery served up by Lesley Nneka Arimah is so potent and rich that I could barely stomach it. It took me two tries to get through this anthology of short stories in full, but what a range! So many left me feeling haunted, empty, gnawing, but thoroughly sustained in spite of that.

I originally heard the titular "What It Means When A Man Falls from the Sky" on Levar Burton's podcast and it shook me to the core. A world where math=empathy, where our current climate troubles turn global politics inside-out, where grief is empirically indigestible—i loved everything about the anxious world she wove in this story. It hits like a bullet every time.

Most of the stories take a grain of sadness in the lives of women and inspect it under a microscope. How do they fail themselves? How are they failed by the societies around them? How do they continue on? I often dreaded the pause that signaled the end of the story, knowing its characters would be left there, suspended in their grief. It's incredibly effective work. I can't wait to read more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, and Blood

aeterna's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A lot of the stories had very unique and interesting premises. Arimah's writing style can be very impactful. At times the stories and characters are so vague to the point where it was distracting and confusing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Abandonment, and Classism

princeofthefleshprison's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Dark, poignant, and melancholy all throughout, What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky is an accomplished collection. Grief and generational trauma haunt all of the eclectic characters, whether that be a pregnant teenage con artist or a goddess searching for her children. Spanning across the diverse settings its protagonists find themselves in —from modern-day US to futuristic Lagos —  each story is written with noteworthy wit and simplicity, just before the final, gut-wrenching end. Highly recommend, 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and War

a2_rache11's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3.5⭐

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment